文献类型：期刊文献

英文题名：From traditional medicine to advanced sensing: A natural Fraxin-based supramolecular probe for visual pH detection and in vivo gastrointestinal imaging

作者：Wang, Longbo[1,2,3];Zhang, Linghua[1,2,3];Liang, Tingting[1,3];Gao, Yaping[2];Kang, Zhengliang[1,3];Nan, Yaxing[4];Qiang, Zhengze[1,3];Wang, Yan[1];An, Yong[2]

第一作者：Wang, Longbo

通信作者：Qiang, ZZ[1];Wang, Y[1];An, Y[2];Qiang, ZZ[3]

机构：[1]Gansu Univ Chinese Med, Coll Pharm, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu, Peoples R China;[2]Gansu Univ Chinese Med, Sch Clin Med 1, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu, Peoples R China;[3]Gansu Univ Chinese Med, Gansu Pharmaceut Ind Innovat Res Inst, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu, Peoples R China;[4]Gansu Univ Tradit Chinese Med, Sch Hlth Management, Lanzhou 730000, Peoples R China

第一机构：甘肃中医药大学药学院（西北中藏药协同创新中心办公室）

通信机构：[1]corresponding author), Gansu Univ Chinese Med, Coll Pharm, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu, Peoples R China;[2]corresponding author), Gansu Univ Chinese Med, Sch Clin Med 1, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu, Peoples R China;[3]corresponding author), Gansu Univ Chinese Med, Gansu Pharmaceut Ind Innovat Res Inst, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu, Peoples R China.|[10735]甘肃中医药大学;[1073501e14fb35863569f]甘肃中医药大学药学院（西北中藏药协同创新中心办公室）;

年份：2026

卷号：362

外文期刊名：SPECTROCHIMICA ACTA PART A-MOLECULAR AND BIOMOLECULAR SPECTROSCOPY

收录：;Scopus(收录号：2-s2.0-105041309950);WOS:【SCI-EXPANDED(收录号:WOS:001796616300001)】；

基金：This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NO. 82303568, NO.82104345 and N0. 22206154), Gansu Provincial Natural Science Foundation (NO. 23JRRA1211), Gansu Provincial University Innovation Foundation (NO. 2023QB-085), the Introduced Talent Research Start-up Fund (NO. 2023-YJRC-16), Scientific Research and Innovation Fund (NO. 2021-KCYB-07) of Gansu University of Chinese Medicine, and the Graduate Innovation and Entrepreneurship Project of Gansu University of Chinese Medicine (NO. 2026CXCY-316).

语种：英文

外文关键词：Fraxin; pH-responsive; Molecular self-assembly; Bioimaging; Natural products; Smartphone

摘要：Dynamic monitoring of intracellular pH homeostasis is critical for revealing pathological mechanisms and enabling early diagnosis of diseases. Accordingly, the development of fluorescent pH probes with high sensitivity, low-cost, and excellent biocompatibility is of considerable importance for biomedical diagnostics. In this study, a novel fluorescent probe based on a pH-induced reversible self-assembly mechanism was constructed using Fraxin, a natural small molecule extracted from the traditional Chinese medicine Cortex Fraxini. Experimental results show that Fraxin remains in a discrete state with quenched fluorescence in acidic microenvironments. As the pH increases to a weakly alkaline range, the molecules undergo self-assembly into nanosphere structures driven by it-it stacking, hydrogen bonding, and electrostatic interactions, triggering a pronounced "Off-On" fluorescence response. The probe exhibits an excellent linear correlation (R2 = 0.9985) within the pH range of 5.6-6.8 and demonstrates strong resistance to ambient light interference. In terms of practical applications, we developed a paper-based sensing platform for rapid screening of sulfur-fumigation in medicinal materials and established a smartphone-assisted point-of-care testing (POCT) system for digitalized pH monitoring. Regarding bioimaging, the probe demonstrates excellent cell permeability and specific mitochondrial targeting capability. In vivo studies further demonstrate its capability to monitor pH fluctuations in zebrafish and to track real-time changes in gastric acidity in mice following omeprazole treatment. Overall, this research not only elucidates the supramolecular assembly behavior of Fraxin but also provides new insights into the development of natural-sourced portable diagnostic tools and clinical gastrointestinal disease monitoring.